Day of the Dead Calaca Serving Pan Dulce
Posted: January 12, 2014 Filed under: Mexican Folk Art | Tags: Calaca, Day of the Dead, Mexican Craft, Mexican folk art Comments Off on Day of the Dead Calaca Serving Pan Dulce
This charming paper mache Day of the Dead folk art figure was made by the Bobadilla brothers of Mexico City. I’ve talked about these brothers before because they are so good at capturing the joy the deceased spirits feel when they return for their annual visit during Dia de los Muertos…always smiling and participating in the activities of life that they enjoyed when they were alive! This skeleton fellow loves pan dulce–don’t we all?
I am not the only one recognizing their talent. Their recognizable style and quality pieces are found in several museums throughout Mexico.
Frida Kahlo Painting, “The Two Fridas”
Posted: January 11, 2014 Filed under: Mexican Folk Art | Tags: Day of the Dead, Frida Kahlo, Mexican Craft, Mexican folk art, Papel Mache Comments Off on Frida Kahlo Painting, “The Two Fridas”
This is a unique piece of Frida Kahlo and Day of the Dead inspired Mexico folk art! It is made of paper mache, fabric, wood and colored pencil. One of the pieces is, “The Two Fridas” and the other is, “Frida With Monkeys.” The colored pencil drawings are as amazing as the papel mache Fridas…Click on the photo to take you to the Online Shop. Enjoy!
Build a Day of the Dead Ofrenda to Honor your Departed Loved Ones
Posted: September 27, 2013 Filed under: Day of the Dead, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Holidays, Sugar Skulls, Zinnia Folk Arts Shop | Tags: Day of the Dead, Mexican folk art, Mexican holidays, papel picado, sugar skulls, Zinnia Folk Arts Minneapolis MN Comments Off on Build a Day of the Dead Ofrenda to Honor your Departed Loved OnesI wrote this last year but it’s still current! The only thing I want to add is:
1. We’re building a community ofrenda in the shop this year. Bring or email your photos of loved ones (or pets) to info@zinniafolkarts.com to be included in the ofrenda.
2. We’re offering some fun craft projects on Saturday, October 26, 2013 for adults and kids to decorate the ofrenda–make paper flowers & terracotta skulls that are similar to sugar skulls
3. I’m doing my “What is Day of the Dead” presentation on Friday, November 1 from 6-7:30 at the shop, 826 West 50th. Space is limited so you must register at info@zinniafolkarts.com.
Enjoy!
Are you unsure about how to build an ofrenda for the upcoming Days of the Dead? Here are a couple of examples from one of my trips to Mexico during Dia de los Muertos. Every ofrenda is unique and personal so don’t worry about whether you are doing it correctly or not. The main idea is to make an inviting altar that will entice the spirits of your departed loved ones to return to enjoy a few hours with you over November 1 and 2. Mexicans believe the smells of the flowers, food and copal incense are especially enticing. And the color of orange and magenta is traditional throughout Mexico. So here are a few ideas of what to include:
1. Marigolds: the color and smell of marigolds is believed to attract the spirits. But if you live in a northern climate, like I do, the marigolds are long…
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Zinnia Mexican Folk Arts Shop
Posted: January 11, 2013 Filed under: Folk Art, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Style, Unique gifts & Jewelry, Zinnia Folk Arts Shop | Tags: Day of the Dead, Folk Art, handmade, Heron Martinez, Mexican ceramics, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, mexican style, Textiles Comments Off on Zinnia Mexican Folk Arts ShopI thought you might be interested in the most recent look at how we like to display Mexican folk art at Zinnia Folk Arts shop! We wanted to move the holiday decorations out so I decided to put the vintage (1960’s White Period) Heron Martinez tree of life in the front window and build a colorful support cast of a variety of Mexican crafts. The color is so welcome during these grey days in Minnesota…it’s actually raining today. Enjoy the photos and of course, if you’re in Minneapolis, stop in. We’ll be waiting for you. Saludos!
Remembering the Dead Publicly during Dias de los Muertos
Posted: November 1, 2012 Filed under: Day of the Dead, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Holidays, Mexican Style, Mexico | Tags: cockscomb, Day of the Dead, marigolds, Mexican folk art, Mexican holidays, mexican style Comments Off on Remembering the Dead Publicly during Dias de los Muertos
Public installations of folk art take many forms in Mexico. As I’ve said before, folk art is handmade, it is regional, it’s made of material available in one’s community, the methods are passed down from generation to generation and it expresses a community belief or value.
Here a simple bouquet of cockscomb attached to a traffic light in the middle of downtown Puebla not only provides passersby with a dab of beauty, but reminds everyone who passes, that a life was taken at this location. Someone died here. It raises our awareness that death is out there. In Mexico, death is not shoved into the back room. Death is a part of life and the Days of the Dead are a time to remember, both privately and publicly, those loved ones who have died.
Someone else died here.
One sees bouquets and shrines built along the roads and highways of Mexico all year long. But during these special days of November 1 and 2, spontaneous eruptions of bouquets of marigolds and cockscomb appear in the cities and pueblos, reminding all of us that we are a mortal people and that life goes on after death.
Build a Day of the Dead Ofrenda to Honor your Departed Loved Ones
Posted: October 26, 2012 Filed under: Catrina, Day of the Dead, Folk Art, Mexican Folk Art, Paper Folk Art, Paper Mache, Sugar Skulls, Zinnia Folk Arts Shop | Tags: Celebrate the holidays, Day of the Dead, handmade, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican holidays, mexican style, sugar skulls Comments Off on Build a Day of the Dead Ofrenda to Honor your Departed Loved Ones
Are you unsure about how to build an ofrenda for the upcoming Days of the Dead? Here are a couple of examples from one of my trips to Mexico during Dia de los Muertos. Every ofrenda is unique and personal so don’t worry about whether you are doing it correctly or not. The main idea is to make an inviting altar that will entice the spirits of your departed loved ones to return to enjoy a few hours with you over November 1 and 2. Mexicans believe the smells of the flowers, food and copal incense are especially enticing. And the color of orange and magenta is traditional throughout Mexico. So here are a few ideas of what to include:
1. Marigolds: the color and smell of marigolds is believed to attract the spirits. But if you live in a northern climate, like I do, the marigolds are long gone! You can substitute yellow/gold mums or the magenta colored brain flower (if you can find it!). In the shop, I use lots of artificial marigolds that I collect at thrift shops over the year.
2. Candles: Whatever candles you have will suffice. I like to put out the Lux candles with the image of the Virgin on them because they color combination is so inviting. I also purchase the super long ivory colored candles in the Mexican market whenever I can so I carry those in the shop. I use them during my presentations about Dia de los Muertos 101 to give a little taste of the feeling in the cemetery on those special nights of November 1 & 2.
3. Papel picado: “Picked” paper or the cutout paper flags are found at all Mexican fiestas. The papel picado for Muertos usually has images of the catrina or skulls or says, “Dia de los Muertos” on it. It comes in multiple colors and multiple sizes. We carry it at the shop.
4. Sugar skulls: These are fabulous folk art pieces sold in the sugar markets that pop up about now in towns all over Mexico. Toluca has one of the largest and most famous but many cities have them and one can find lots of charming, unique, beautiful skulls made out of sugar. You can have the name of your loved one written across the forehead or not. I carry gorgeous sugar skulls made by a Mexican-American woman in the Twin Cities because they are so fragile and hard to get home in one piece.
5. Photos and favorite objects: Ofrendas include photographs of the deceased which in conjunction with the smells and colors of the flowers, candles and incense help the spirits determine where they should go to reunite and commune with their relatives. Many people also include the favorite foods or beverages of the departed. For children, a favorite toy may be placed on the altar.
I hope you enjoy building your own unique ofrenda to remember and honor your loved ones who have passed away. If you have any questions, just let me know! Click on any of the photos to take you to our online shop or stop in at 826 West 50th in Minneapolis.
Day of the Dead Skeletons Do Everything in the Afterlife
Posted: October 25, 2012 Filed under: Day of the Dead, Paper Folk Art, Paper Mache | Tags: Day of the Dead, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, paper mache Comments Off on Day of the Dead Skeletons Do Everything in the Afterlife
Handmade Day of the Dead Art before Dia de los Muertos
Posted: October 4, 2012 Filed under: Catrina, Day of the Dead, Folk Art, Mexican Crafts, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Pottery, Paper Folk Art, Paper Mache, Sugar Skulls | Tags: catrina, Day of the Dead, dia de los muertos, handmade, Mexican crafts, Mexican folk art, Mexican holidays, paper mache, sugar skulls 2 CommentsThe leaves are turning in Minnesota, the yellow mums and purple asters are blooming, the weather is getting cooler, and the wind is whisking in a new season. In Mexico the month of October is a time to begin preparations to entice the departed spirits to return for a brief visit during Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. It’s a time to start thinking about the home altar, made by many Mexican families, to honor and remember the dead. It’s a time to start preparing the special foods, making the sugar skulls, conceiving of and creating the marigold decorations for the gravesite and the ofrenda, and for the candlemakers to make the gorgeous candles that will decorate the cemetery and the home. It’s both a private time and a public time.
Someone once likened Dia de los Muertos to a combination of Memorial Day and Thanksgiving. November 1 and 2 are a public acknowledgement of the important people in our lives who have passed on much like what we do for Memorial Day. And it’s similar to Thanksgiving in that families prepare traditional foods and follow familiar rituals like so many American families do for Thanksgiving. The traditional colors of yellow and purple are always associated with Muertos in Mexico and the smells of the flowers and the burning copal cannot be mistaken for any other time of the year. It’s a very spiritual time–derived from the ancient rituals of the Aztec mixed with some of the teachings of the Catholic church–a time when people express their love for those who’ve died through storytelling and building ofrendas or altars.
So, what about the folk art? Lots of skeletons, large and small, made of a variety of media, skulls made of everything including sugar and lots of embellishments like papel picado, candles, and flowers. The folk art is used to decorate the ofrendas and to remind everyone that death is part of life. It also can provide a little humor. We are thrilled to have a lovely rotating ofrenda in the front window created by a local artist, Liz Pangerl of Casa Valencia, LLC which incorporates many of the traditional Day of the Dead motifs and items. Stop in!
Some of these things are in the online shop and some are not. Click on the photo to take you to the online shop.
Let me know if you’re interested in a price or purchasing something via this handy form….Happy Dia de los Muertos!
Dancing Mexican Day of the Dead Catrinas
Posted: July 7, 2012 Filed under: Day of the Dead, Mexican Folk Art, Paper Mache, Unique gifts & Jewelry | Tags: Day of the Dead, handmade, Mexican folk art, paper mache Comments Off on Dancing Mexican Day of the Dead Catrinas
These lovely dancing ladies come from Michoacan, Mexico and are made of paper mache. I continue to be totally in awe of what Mexican artisans can do with paper and paper mache. They stand on their own, holding their skirts as they anticipate swirling. Remember? Mexican Day of the Dead skeletons do everything in the afterlife that they did while living. And they always do it with a smile. The colors of their dresses are lovely too–orange and blue, purple, pink and teal and pink with purple. $40 each.
Paper Mache Mexican Folk Art Skeletons Gettin’ Married in the Morning
Posted: June 27, 2012 Filed under: Day of the Dead, Mexican Folk Art, Mexican Style, Paper Folk Art, Paper Mache | Tags: Day of the Dead, handmade, Mexican folk art, paper folk art, paper mache Comments Off on Paper Mache Mexican Folk Art Skeletons Gettin’ Married in the MorningYou know that skeletons do everything that living people do, right? Well, they even get married! And more and more people want to include skeletons (especially smiling, happy skeletons) in their wedding plans. This happy couple would love to stand on top of a cake or on the head table at any wedding but especially those with a Mexican theme or a Day of the Dead theme. (Yes, people do that.)
Just look at the detail on these exquisite paper mache brides and grooms. The veil, the necklace, the soft green edging to her dress. And they even stand up on their own…the first couple is available, right here.
The second bride is also lovely and she’s available here. 
Zinnia Folk Arts 